Ballard transformation: Boutique hotel opening on former bowling alley site

More of the blue will be washed out of Ballard’s collar this spring, when a luxury hotel opens where the neighborhood’s first bowling alley once operated.

Hotel Ballard is at 5214 Ballard Ave. N.W., next to the Olympic Athletic Club, which hotel developers Jim and Debera Riggle also own. Rooms and suites will go for $189 to $429 a night when the hotel opens in May.

The 29-room property is Ballard’s first full-service hotel, according to the Riggles, who also own the Ballard Inn, which is across the street from the hotel. The hotel, which will have a street-level restaurant and a rooftop pavilion with views of the Olympic Mountains, replaces a warehouse. Before that, the property was home to the bowling alley.

The Riggles said it cost about $15.9 million to develop the hotel and another $500,000 to remodel the athletic club, which is connected to the new building.

Seattle architects Gordon Lagerquist and Gene Morris designed the façade of the four-story hotel to distinguish it from historic buildings along Ballard Avenue. The façade, with its handmade stucco, sandstone and wood panels, is “a modern interpretation” of its “notable neighbors,” according to a press release.

Jim Riggle, chairman of the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board, said the goal was to build a hotel for travelers and create an extension of the athletic club where locals could meet.

Debera Riggle, an interior designer, and Janet Hendrich designed the lobby, which features custom chandeliers and a library that wraps around a stone fireplace.

Mike Skidmore Architect designed the rooms, which range from 400 to 600 square feet and pay homage to the neighborhood’s Scandinavian heritage with what the developer said are subtle touches.